Maeve Dermody ( ) is an Australian actress. After a film appearance at five years old, her adult acting career has included work in Australian and British television, theatre, short films, and feature films.
Early life and education Maeve Dermody is the daughter of Susan Murphy Dermody, a film theorist, historian, director, and Zen Rōshi. Her father is a psychologist. Dermody's family encouraged a love of literature and the arts, and supported performing as well - her mother gave Dermody her first part when she was five years old in the film her mother directed Breathing Under Water, released in 1993.
Dermody attended Mosman High School in Sydney, completing year 12 with a near-perfect Universities Admission Index. During high school she was active in drama classes, as well as the Australian Theatre for Young People, and furthered her acting education with several courses at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney.
Career While still in high school, Dermody began getting roles in Australian television series such as All Saints (1998), and in short films. Her first major film role was in the independent thriller Black Water (2007), about a trio of people trapped in the mangroves of the Northern Territory by a menacing saltwater crocodile. Dermody's performance in Black Water earned her multiple nominations for Best Supporting Actress awards in the Australian film industry. Her next major film role was in Beautiful Kate (2009), for which she was again nominated for the AFI Best Supporting Actress Award.
She had a lead role in the 2010 film Griff the Invisible, and in the 2012 miniseries Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms.
In 2013, Dermody starred as Claire Simpson in the 10-part Australian-Singaporean TV drama series Serangoon Road.
Dermody is also active in the Australian theatre, having appeared in productions such as Killer Joe, Measure for Measure, Our Town, and The Seagull, for major theatre companies in Sydney.
At Christmas 2015, Dermody starred as Vera Claythorne in BBC One's version of Agatha Christie's thriller And Then There Were None.
In 2016 she played the lead role as Kate in Pawno.
She plays the lead role as Sarah, a woman escaping domestic violence with her teenage son, in the 2026 film Life Could Be a Dream.
Filmography
Film YearTitleRoleNotes 1992 Breathing Under Water Maeve 2003 All Shook Up Billy Short 2006 A Fairytale of the City The Girl Short2007 Walnut Ghyselle Short Black Water Lee2009 Shot Open Amelia Walsh Short Past Midnight Ginny Short Beautiful Kate Toni At the Breakfast Table Short2010 Griff the Invisible Melody Magpie Martha Short2012 Dangerous Remedy Jo Wainer TV film Almost Emily Short 2013 Greg's First Day Mandy Short 2014 Wedding of the Year 2015 The Fear of Darkness Dr. Sarah Faithfull2016 Pawno Kate The Space Between Olivia 2017 2:22 Sandy 2018 Birdie Short 2019 Love Type D Frankie2020 The Secret Garden Alice The Immortal Lucy Short 2026 Life Could Be a Dream Sarah
Television YearTitleRoleNotes 2003 White Collar Blue Amanda Payne 1 episode2006 All Saints Taylor Patterson Episode: "Truth Hurts" Monarch Cove Charlotte Lee Miniseries, 1 episode 2007 The Chaser's War on Everything 1 episode 2009 My Place Evelyn Episode: "1918 Bertie" 2011 Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo Rachel Carr Miniseries2012 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Eunice Henderson Episode: "Murder on the Ballarat Train" Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms Lee Miniseries, series regular Rake Polly Nesbitt 2 episodes Dangerous Remedy Joanne Bertram Telemovie2013 Power Games: The Packer-Murdoch War Anna Murdoch Miniseries Serangoon Road Claire Simpson Series regular 2015 And Then There Were None Vera Elizabeth Claythorne Miniseries 2016 Ripper Street Prudence Sumner Episode: "All the Glittering Blades" 2016-2018 Marcella Grace Gibson 4 episodes2017 SS-GB Sylvia Manning Miniseries The Frankenstein Chronicles Esther Rose Season 2, series regular2019 Carnival Row Portia Fyfe Season 1, series regular Gold Digger Emily Miniseries, episode: "Her Daughter" 2020-2021 The Beast Must Die Violet Series regular 2022 Why Didn't They Ask Evans? Moira Nicholson Miniseries, 3 episodes 2025 A Thousand Blows Lady Grace
Music videos Year Title Artist Role 2009 "Warning" Incubus Lead Girl
Theatre Year Play Role Venue / Company 2004 Vincent in Brixton Eugenie Loyer Ensemble Theatre, Sydney 2005 The Girl on the Sofa The Girl New Theatre, Sydney 2006 The Peach Season Zoe Griffin Theatre Company, Sydney 2008 Killer Joe Dottie Downstairs Theatre, Sydney2010 Measure for Measure Juliet Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney with Company B Our Town Emily Webb Sydney Opera House with Sydney Theatre Company 2011 The Seagull Nina Mikhailovna Zarechniy Belvoir St Theatre Sydney with Company B
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result2008 AFI Awards Best Actress in a Supporting Role Black Water IF Awards Best Actress Black Water YEN Magazine Young Woman of the Year: Film, Television and Theatre 2009 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards Best Supporting Actress Black Water AFI Awards Best Actress in a Supporting Role Beautiful Kate 2010 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards Best Supporting Actress Beautiful Kate FBi Radio Sydney Music, Arts & Culture Awards Best Performer Our Town 2011 News Limited Star of the Year 2015 FilmQuest Cthulhu Trophy Best Actress Pawno 2016 AACTA Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role Pawno 2017 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards Best Actress Pawno 2021 Micheaux Film Festival Outstanding Actress in Feature Film Love Type D
References
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